祖宗也抢盐！【2011.03.17 TIME】On the West Coast, a Paranoid Run on Iodide Pills

diver18

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2059408,00.html

The good news in Japan was that the winds had been pushing the radiated plumes from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant out into the Pacific Ocean, away from populated areas. The winds would likely prevent more harm from happening to the earthquake-and-tsunami-battered region.

But that didn't seem like altogether good news to people on the West Coast of the U.S., where there is now a run on potassium iodide. The tablets can help block the absorption of radioactive iodine. The California Department of Public Health and the California Emergency Management Agency have urged residents to not take potassium iodide as a precautionary measure because it can cause serious side effects. But the warnings have not stopped Californians from rushing to buy the pills, creating a backlog at the companies that produce them.

The West Coast, and particularly California, shares many of Japan's vulnerabilities, including the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis. But with two nuclear reactors located in California, radiation might be the scariest potential threat in the minds of many because it is intangible — an invisible, ghostlike killer.

West Coast residents like DJ Shark ("You can just call me Shark") have been following the news, and while they're not exactly panicking, they're not feeling totally safe. Shark is a musician. His band's music has been in a lot of movies. He lives in West Hollywood.
A couple of days ago, he joked with his girlfriend that they should take a trip to Arizona. Shark wasn't immediately concerned about a deadly nuclear release hitting Los Angeles. But on Facebook he started telling his friends to update their earthquake kits to include potassium iodide. He started searching for the pills on websites so that he could stock his own kit, he says, in the event that "clouds started forming, a siren went off to go inside and the rain started falling."
The price of the pills had shot up from $6 a bottle to $140, and most online sources had sold out. "I am not Mr. Paranoia, but we are watching a worst-case scenario in Japan, and they have good safety measures," says Shark. "I don't have the same trust in the United States. Look at the Gulf Coast disaster. It was a level of technical incompetence, but it also showed poor regulatory measures."
Californians have many questions about what exactly is emanating from the Japanese plant — and how it might affect them. It is a small world, after all. Where might nuclear radiation drift? Can something so toxic just dissipate into thin air, forgotten for eternity?

Scientists believe the radioactive dust and gases from Japan won't reach U.S. shores at a dangerous level. But in many a worried West Coast mind, a tsunami raced across the Pacific at the rate of a jet, so it is not inconceivable to imagine the prevailing winds carrying plumes of deadly dust into the airstream, across Hawaii and toward the West Coast. To many people waking up to the continuous bad news from Japan, it seems like a Japanese disaster might turn into a global one. In an overheard conversation at a Santa Monica coffee shop, a woman told a person sitting nearby that a "friend on the Internet said that radiation would hit L.A. in 10 days."
Because nuclear bombs are so frightening and reactor disasters so profound, a lot of healthy concern swirls around anything nuclear. But scientists say problems with the Japanese reactors would affect only people in the immediate area: when there is a meltdown, radioactive dust tends to settle to the ground near the compromised reactor. Small particles travel farther, but "imagine the transport of the particles over many thousand kilometers," says Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, a research scientist at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. "It is just not possible to imagine the plume would stay intact long enough over such long distances to cause a concentrated dose. Just imagine a smokestack releasing a cloud which at first looks like a thick, billowing cloud but soon peters out, and you can't even see it anymore — that's how I see this plume. As the distance increases, the particles become smaller and less concentrated." So radioactive gases could reach U.S. shores, but by the time they arrived, the concentration levels would be greatly diminished and not dangerous, Dalnoki-Veress says.

The public in California is not easily convinced, however. There is a gloomy sense that the real story hasn't totally emerged, that bureaucrats always cover up the worse news during a disaster. Adding to the conspiratorial mix, pro- and anti-nuclear groups have spent the past decades vilifying one another, so the public doesn't know what to believe about nuclear energy. Up and down the West Coast, people are staring at their televisions, searching meteorological maps, reading news about Japan and even looking to the sky, hoping that there is no dangerous radiation headed their way.

vincenz

认领

vincenz

On the west Coast, a Paranoid Run on Iodide Pills

核辐射恐慌导致美国西海岸碘片卖疯了

The good news in Japan was that the winds had been pushing the radiated plumes from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant out into the Pacific Ocean, away from populated areas. The winds would likely prevent more harm from happening to the earthquake-and-tsunami-battered region.

风带着放射性颗粒从受损的福岛日本第一核电站吹到了太平洋上，远离了人口稠密的地区，这对于日本来讲是个好消息。这样的风使得饱受地震和海啸侵袭的地区免于遭受更大的灾难。

But that didn't seem like altogether good news to people on the West Coast of the U.S., where there is now a run on potassium iodide. The tablets can help block the absorption of radioactive iodine. The California Department of Public Health and the California Emergency Management Agency have urged residents to not take potassium iodide as a precautionary measure because it can cause serious side effects. But the warnings have not stopped Californians from rushing to buy the pills, creating a backlog at the companies that produce them.

但是这个消息对于美国西海岸的人们来讲却并不妙，那里碘化钾在最近一段时间卖疯了。据说这种药片可以防止人体对核辐射的吸收。加州公共健康部门和加州紧急事务管理办公室紧急告知当地居民不要轻易将碘化钾作为预防措施以免引起副作用。不过这样的警告并没有阻止到加州人购买药片的热情，生产药片的公司目前积压了大量的订单需求。

The West Coast, and particularly California, shares many of Japan's vulnerabilities, including the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis. But with two nuclear reactors located in California, radiation might be the scariest potential threat in the minds of many because it is intangible — an invisible, ghostlike killer.
美国西海岸，特别是加利福尼亚州，和日本有着很多类似的不安全因素，包括地震和海啸的威胁。而且因为加州有两个核反应堆，辐射恐怕是很多人心目中最可怕的潜在威胁，因为他的不可见性，简直就是一个无形的杀手。

West Coast residents like DJ Shark ("You can just call me Shark") have been following the news, and while they're not exactly panicking, they're not feeling totally safe. Shark is a musician. His band's music has been in a lot of movies. He lives in West Hollywood.
西海岸的居民像DJ Shark（“你也可以叫我Shark”）也关注着新闻，不过他们并不恐慌，也不感到非常安全。Shark是个居住在好莱坞西部的音乐人，他的音乐出现在很多电影中。

A couple of days ago, he joked with his girlfriend that they should take a trip to Arizona. Shark wasn't immediately concerned about a deadly nuclear release hitting Los Angeles. But on Facebook he started telling his friends to update their earthquake kits to include potassium iodide. He started searching for the pills on websites so that he could stock his own kit, he says, in the event that "clouds started forming, a siren went off to go inside and the rain started falling."
几天前，Shark和他的女朋友开玩笑说他们应该去亚利桑那州旅行。他没有立即意识到致命的核泄漏会影响到洛杉矶。但是在Facebook上，他也会开始提醒朋友们在放地震装备中增加碘化钾。他开始在网上寻找可以买到碘片的渠道来准备自己的装备，他这样说道“万一”

The price of the pills had shot up from $6 a bottle to $140, and most online sources had sold out. "I am not Mr. Paranoia, but we are watching a worst-case scenario in Japan, and they have good safety measures," says Shark. "I don't have the same trust in the United States. Look at the Gulf Coast disaster. It was a level of technical incompetence, but it also showed poor regulatory measures."
药价从$6猛增到$140，并且大多数的在线购买网站都已经销售一空。“我并没有妄想症，但是我们都看到日本的糟糕状况，但是他们有很好的安全措施。”Shark说，“但我对美国政府却并不信任。看看墨西哥湾的灾难吧。不仅反映了技术水平的不足，也反映了管理措施的不健全”

Californians have many questions about what exactly is emanating from the Japanese plant — and how it might affect them. It is a small world, after all. Where might nuclear radiation drift? Can something so toxic just dissipate into thin air, forgotten for eternity?
加州民众对日本核电站释放出来的究竟是什么以及会对自己产生什么影响有很多疑问。毕竟世界很小。放射性颗粒接下里会飘到哪里？为什么这么有毒的东西释放到空气中存活那么长时间？

Scientists believe the radioactive dust and gases from Japan won't reach U.S. shores at a dangerous level. But in many a worried West Coast mind, a tsunami raced across the Pacific at the rate of a jet, so it is not inconceivable to imagine the prevailing winds carrying plumes of deadly dust into the airstream, across Hawaii and toward the West Coast. To many people waking up to the continuous bad news from Japan, it seems like a Japanese disaster might turn into a global one. In an overheard conversation at a Santa Monica coffee shop, a woman told a person sitting nearby that a "friend on the Internet said that radiation would hit L.A. in 10 days."
科学家认为到达美国的放射性尘埃和气体并不足以达到危险的级别。但是在看到海啸以极快的速度穿越太平洋后，再想像携带有致命灰尘的羽流，乘着大风穿过夏威夷直抵西海岸，这些担心也并非空穴来风。
对于很多认识到日本问题严重性的人们，似乎日本的灾难会对全球产生影响。在Santa Monica一家偶然听到的一段对话中，一个妇女对她身边的人讲“网上的朋友说辐射将在10天后影响洛杉矶。”

Because nuclear bombs are so frightening and reactor disasters so profound, a lot of healthy concern swirls around anything nuclear. But scientists say problems with the Japanese reactors would affect only people in the immediate area: when there is a meltdown, radioactive dust tends to settle to the ground near the compromised reactor. Small particles travel farther, but "imagine the transport of the particles over many thousand kilometers," says Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, a research scientist at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. "It is just not possible to imagine the plume would stay intact long enough over such long distances to cause a concentrated dose. Just imagine a smokestack releasing a cloud which at first looks like a thick, billowing cloud but soon peters out, and you can't even see it anymore — that's how I see this plume. As the distance increases, the particles become smaller and less concentrated." So radioactive gases could reach U.S. shores, but by the time they arrived, the concentration levels would be greatly diminished and not dangerous, Dalnoki-Veress says.

因为原子弹的威力和核灾难的深远影响，跟核有关的任何事情都涉及到人类的健康。不过科学家表示日本核反应堆的问题只会影响到附近的人们：灾难发生的时候，放射性尘埃会趋于沉淀在核反应堆周围。小颗粒会传播的远一些，不过“想象一下把微粒传播到数千公里之外”，在Monterey国际学院研究防止核扩散问题的科学家Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress说，“在经历了那么长的距离之后，这些微粒不可能还保持原来那么完整。就像烟囱释放出的烟雾一开始像云一样很浓，但是很快会逐渐消失，直到你再也看不到--这就是我对这些核尘埃的看法。随着距离的增加，颗粒开始变小并且开始分化。”所以即便辐射性气体可以飘到美国海岸，当它们到达的时候，密度会变得很小，小到不会对人产生危害的程度，Dalnoki-Veress说。

The public in California is not easily convinced, however. There is a gloomy sense that the real story hasn't totally emerged, that bureaucrats always cover up the worse news during a disaster. Adding to the conspiratorial mix, pro- and anti-nuclear groups have spent the past decades vilifying one another, so the public doesn't know what to believe about nuclear energy. Up and down the West Coast, people are staring at their televisions, searching meteorological maps, reading news about Japan and even looking to the sky, hoping that there is no dangerous radiation headed their way.

然而加州的民众并不愿意轻易相信。大家都悲观地感觉事故的真相并没有完全公布，政府总是在灾难的时候刻意隐瞒不好的消息。加上阴谋论者，支持和反对利用原子能的势力在过去的数十年中相互诋毁，导致一般民众并不知道该支持哪一方。西海岸上上下下的人们都在盯着电视机，研究气象云图，阅读关于日本的新闻，甚至密切关注起天象，希望远离核辐射的危险。

flyer99

还是中国人智商高，反应快……